Smile Empty Soul
by venus goddess
Summary: Kaoru Kamiya is a rising interior designer with a troubled past. Working alongside Kenshin Himura reveals to her a side of humanity that she has long given up on, and Kaoru struggles to find the real truth behind everything. KxK
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** This story was originally under the title of **"The New Present"**. Do not be alarmed or report plagiarism, because this is not a case of that. For those of you who have read this story before, I do recommend re-reading it. Even though this chapter has nothing new in it, you should just to remember everything and give me a review on whether I improved or not. tee-hee. In this story, my Kaoru is quite different from the traditional one. Please keep your views open of her, everything will be explained later on.

A shout out to my wonderful beta, **Kylie-san**. Without whom, people would probably be throwing rotten vegetables at me for submitting such a horrible piece of writing. Thank you for helping me out, you have no idea how much of a help you really are.

Without further ado… the story

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

"**Smile Empty Soul"  
Chapter One-**By Venus Goddess

"Tsubame, tell me. What's my schedule for the week?" asked Kaoru Kamiya.

The small girl sitting across from Kaoru immediately stopped what she was doing and pulled out a palm pilot. "Today is Monday, right? So the dinner at the Three Dragons Hotel is tonight and the grand opening for it is tomorrow." She took her attention away from the device and focused it on her boss. "I must say, Kaoru, you really outdid yourself on the hotel. Soon you'll be ranking at the top of the list for most sought-after interior designers."

Kaoru just shrugged her shoulders in response and waved her hand for Tsubame to continue. "Yes, yes I hope so. Now please continue, Tsubame."

"Yes, sorry. Okay. Ummm... Wednesday is the meeting with the big boss... and that's it. For now at least," finished Tsubame, closing the palm pilot and returning to her lunch.

As Kaoru's personal assistant, it was Tsubame's job to be with Kaoru during all business and non-business hours. She didn't mind, though. She looked up to Kaoru as a sister and a role model, and was treated fairly well. Despite this, the job benefits and opportunities were well worth the hassle anyway.

"That's it, then?" Kaoru was quiet for a moment, thinking. "Enishi is my escort tonight," she said, more to herself than to the girl sitting on the couch in her office.

"I suppose you'll be taking Yahiko, then?" asked Kaoru. The moment she mentioned her younger cousin's name, Tsubame's eyes and face lit up, a small blush slowly covering her cheeks.

"Yes…yes, I am. Or he is. Or…well… we're going together," said Tsubame, stumbling across the words.

Kaoru sighed. She did not know what the girl saw in Yahiko, but it was definitely something she liked. Oh well, Tsubame was young and naїve about men, so Kaoru would let her be.

Tsubame thought about Kaoru for a moment. She was a rapidly-rising interior designer, and her most recent project was working on the new Three Dragons Hotel owned by Enishi Yukishiro. She was famous, but it was not based solely on her talent with interior designs. She was a beautiful woman by the public's standards and it seemed that Kaoru would only stand to be paired with an equally handsome guy.

Soon after her career had begun, she had become notorious for going out with only the most high-profile businessmen and celebrities, only to break it off soon after. In fact, the tabloids were keeping close tabs on the relationship status of her most recent catch, Enishi. Most of them believed that it would last no longer than their time as business partners.

Tsubame sighed, and decided on asking Kaoru a question that had been bothering her for some time. "Kaoru, have you ever thought about dating a guy because you found something appealing about him?"

Kaoru looked at Tsubame suspiciously, wondering where the question had come from. "I do find something appealing about the guys I date," answered Kaoru carefully after a moment.

"Yeah, like what?"

Kaoru smirked at the question and started to tick off the reasons on her fingers, "There's the fame, pretty gifts, being told you're beautiful every day, and ... well, I just can't think of the other reasons right now, but there are many more, trust me."

Tsubame just looked at Kaoru and didn't even try to argue.

"What? Look at it this way; I'm living out my childhood dreams. You know, the ones every girl has of dating the famous actor? That's what I'm doing," she replied triumphantly.

Deciding to stop Tsubame's sudden curiosity, she cut off her next question before the girl even got a chance to ask it. "Tsubame, would you make sure to call Kamatari and remind him that he's coming over to my place at six-thirty to help me choose an outfit, please? Thanks."

The young girl nodded in response.

On top of Kaoru's desk lay the customary black binder containing phone numbers, business meetings, schedules and anything else that was of importance. She leafed through it before deciding to call Enishi at work.

As Kaoru sat, the ringing of the phone barely registering in her mind, she thought back to a time when she was happy. When trusting others came naturally, when she was ignorant to all the misguiding of a cruel world.

_There was a coffin, going down, down, to its resting place six feet under. _

_There was a man with a drink in hand, crying. _

_There was a girl, innocent and naїve, all to be changed.  
_

In some distant realm far from where she was, she heard someone answer her call.

"Hello, Three Dragons Hotel. Yukishiro, Enishi's office, Sam speaking... Hello? Heeellooo?" a sharp click signaled the ending of the call.

A tear slowly fell down Kaoru's cheek, leaving a moist trail behind it. "Father, are you proud of what has become of me?" she whispered to herself.

Still holding the phone in her hand, it began to beep loudly into her ear for not being hung up after the connection was lost. This snapped Kaoru back to the present and she quickly wiped away the tear, and pushing the unhappy thoughts to the back of her mind.

Heaving a sigh, she smoothed out the wrinkles of her skirt and turned watery eyes to Tsubame. "'Kay Tsubame, lunch is over. Time to get back to work."

If Tsubame hadn't worked for Kaoru for so long and didn't know her so well, she would have asked what was wrong. Instead, she kept her mouth shut and began packing away the rest of her lunch, preparing for the long hours of work before six when she would be able to go home and start preparing for the party.

When she was done, she gathered some papers into her lap and just waited until Kaoru gave her something to do. She didn't have to wait long, and before she knew it, she was faxing papers, checking appointments, and doing other things that needed to be done.

When the hands of Kaoru's desk clock finally began to tick down the last five seconds to six o'clock, Kaoru herself was already outside in the parking lot, getting into her silver Boxter X Porsche.

"Bye Tsubame, I'll see you later." Kaoru waved as she drove off. Tsubame answered back, but she was already too far down the street to hear.

-

Entering her penthouse apartment, she was greeted by a man clothed in a sleek pair of dress pants and button down hot pink shirt. "Kaoru, honey, do you see what time it is? I am a professional. If I didn't like you so much I might actually be mad," he said, giving her a hug.

"I really am sorry, Kamatari. Traffic was terrible. We don't have time for chit-chat. Dress me up, make me up, do whatever you want to me. I'm late!"

"Darling, there's enough time. Now stop running around like a madwoman and calm down," he said, starting to unpack his duffel bag. He held up a few dresses and Kaoru replied to his unasked question before disappearing down the hall.

"In my bedroom! You can set up your other things there too. Let me just take a shower and I'll be out in ten," she called out, running into the bathroom. Before she closed the door, she heard Kamatari shout something about a specific shampoo he wanted her to use. Letting out a small laugh, Kaoru rolled her eyes and locked the door before stepping into the shower.

She came out of the bathroom relaxed and refreshed wearing only a terry-cloth robe. The man was gay, what did she care?

An angry-looking Kamatari greeted Kaoru as she walked over to the vanity. She flashed him a smile as if nothing was wrong.

"Now Kamatari, you know frowning doesn't become you. And plus, it leaves wrinkles."

"I see you're in a better mood. That was eleven minutes, Kaoru. You said ten." He was no longer frowning, but not smiling either.

"Oh come now, I'm sorry." She flashed him another one of her award-winning smiles, but he just stared back. Seeing that she wasn't having an effect on him, she tried another tactic. "Your negative mood is making me sad. I'm here now, so you can work on your favorite doll. Fix my hair, do my makeup, you even get to choose what I wear. I'm like your own personal Barbie."

She wasn't looking at him anymore, so she didn't see the smile that was spreading across his face. "You know me too well. Look at me, I can't help but smile now," he said, closing the space between them. Getting down to business, he started to pick out some of the dresses that were on the bed. "Before I do your makeup, we have to find you a proper outfit. I have a few that I pulled from shoots and other places. I know that they would look great on you. So let's try them on, shall we?"

Before she knew it, Kaoru was being ushered behind her changing screen with a pile of clothing in her arms. She laid them on a chair and pulled out some underwear before getting into her first ensemble, which was a nice forest green, spaghetti-strapped dress. Green sequins were sewn around the whole thing, leaving a trail of green shimmers across her body.

She stepped out from behind the screen to look at herself in front of the mirror hanging on the back of the door. "So what do you think?" she asked, checking how low the dress dipped in the back.

"Hmm... I brought this along because I thought it would go well with the whole dragon theme. The sequins as scales, green, you know. Turn around for me darling." He made a twirling motion with his finger. "No ... no, I don't like it. The sparkles are too much. Change."

Forty-five minutes and several dress changes later, a slightly exasperated Kaoru once again stepped out from behind the changing screen. This time, however, she was greeted by clapping and squeals of delight.

Kamatari walked over to Kaoru to get a better look. It was cream-colored and, although it could have easily been strapless, straps hung off her shoulders to give it a more elegant look. It didn't show too much cleavage, but in the back, a good amount of skin was exposed. The cut of the dress, however, made it cling to every curve of her body like a second skin. A large slit was on the left side starting from mid-thigh down.

"Ooh, you look _gorgeous_ in it, m'dear. All the men will drop dead when they see you. Well... more so than they usually do at least."

The dress decided, Kamatari grabbed Kaoru by the shoulders and steered her over to the vanity to begin styling her hair. When he was done, he took some hairspray with glitter in it to hold it all together. As a last flourish, two decorative opal chopsticks with onyx stones were placed in her hair.

Leaving no time for Kaoru to look at herself in the mirror, he moved straight on to makeup. Kaoru, used to the treatment and trusting in his skills, just sat back and let Kamatari dictate her movements. Starting off with concealer and foundation, he then used some liquid lip gloss. Blush was placed on the apples of her cheeks, giving her the just-came-running look. Mascara and eye liner were also done. Then last, but not least, off-white eye shadow was applied, the same shade as her dress. An hour after the whole process had started, he told Kaoru to look at herself, another one of his 'masterpieces.'

"Kamatari, you've done it again. I love you so much, you know that? How can I ever repay you?" She beamed at her reflection and turning her face to see every angle.

"Hmm... let's think. To start off, how about a $2,200 check and maybe a date with one of your exes?" he said, while packing his things. Just then, the doorbell rang.

Kaoru wrote out the check and handed it to him before giving him a hug. "How many times can I say that I love you Kam? You are just the best."

"Well, I guess that I'm done here. But before I go, have this." He pulled out a box from behind him and gave it to a confused Kaoru.

"What more is there to do?" she asked opening the box. When she saw what was inside it, she dropped it to the floor before grabbing the man in another tight hug. "Oh thank you, thank you. I knew I could count on you."

"There there, sweetie. Of course you could. And you always can. All you need to do is ring and I'll come by," he said, returning the gesture. When Kaoru released him from her hold, he took her by the shoulders and said, "Now have a good time. Be sure to spot any cute boys and reserve them for me, okay? And don't tease around with what's his name's heart too much. I want all the gossip and every single detail. I'll call you tomorrow honey, bye!" With that said, he picked up his duffel bag and showed himself out the door.

Kaoru picked up the fallen box as the door closed shut and put its contents on the floor. They were the matching shoes to the dress. With a kitten heel and pearl toe-strap, it complemented the dress perfectly. Slipping them on, Kaoru looked at herself one last time in the mirror.

The dress truly did fit her perfectly. The hem was cut so that a small amount dragged in the back like a trail. Kaoru especially liked the long slit down the left side of the dress. It allowed people to catch a glimpse of her tan and toned legs while she walked around.

Smoothing out some invisible wrinkle on the dress, another memory came back to haunt, her just like they always did.

_A sixteen year-old Kaoru looked at herself in the mirror, thinking of a bright future. She had on a gorgeous white kimono and was modeling it in front of a mirror while humming the wedding march._

'_Will I ever be married?' she thought, as images of an older Kaoru walking down the aisle popped into her head. But then another image came into mind of who was supposed to be walking her down that aisle. 'No, no. Getting married brings nothing good. Only pain and loss. Plus, that means that I'll be tied down to some guy.' With that thought, a scowl turned the pretty features of her face ugly. To her, all men reminded her of experiences brought on by one man. "Daddy."_

_With the mention of his name, Kaoru heard a car door slam outside. Her eyes widened as she looked out of the attic window to seal her fears. Her father's car was parked outside. He was home early. He hadn't told her that he would be early that day._

"_Kaoru! Kaoru, where are you?" came the voice she had learned to fear. Adrenaline pumped through Kaoru, fueled by distress. She quickly stripped off her mother's kimono and threw it into the chest. She could hear feet stomping up the stairs as she scrambled to get into her jeans and shirt. "Kaoru! If I find you in that attic again..." The footsteps reached the attic landing and Kaoru's head turned in the direction of the door, eyes wide with fear._

"No use thinking of the past. I'm rid of him, rid of that life. He's gone," she said out loud, reminding herself that she was no longer in that hated house. Nevertheless, she couldn't help rubbing a spot on her upper arm that had once sported an angry bruise.

Shaking herself out of the past, she heard her door being opened and knew that it was Tsubame with Yahiko.

Stepping away from the mirror, she spritzed on some of her jasmine-scented perfume and walked out to meet the two.

Tsubame gasped when she saw her. "Oh, my... Kaoru, you look gorgeous! I love your dress," exclaimed the younger girl.

"Yeah, I like it too..." said Kaoru, eyes glazing over a bit. "Yours is pretty as well. You went for a halter, I see."

Tsubame was garbed in a teal-colored halter dress with sequins and sparkles catching the light with every movement she made. It had a very low back and the diagonal way in which the bottom of the skirt was cut made the length varying. It dropped down to her heel on the left side, while only covering half of her thigh on the other. Her shoes were the same teal shade, with a high heel and strap wrapping around her ankles. As usual with Tsubame, makeup was done subtly, with everything being of natural shades and tones. Her brown hair wasn't very long, so it wasn't done up like Kaoru's.

At Kaoru's comment, she blushed a little. "Do you really like it? You don't think it's a bit risqué?" Tsubame twirled around to give Kaoru a better look at the dress.

"Risqué? No, not a bit. You are so modest sometimes, Tsu," said Kaoru admonishingly. "And anyway, you know what they say, right? If you've got it, flaunt it," she said with a wink.

Once again the doorbell sounded and Tsubame turned to answer it.

At the door was a very handsome man of strong build with unusually stark white hair. He thanked Tsubame before stepping in and taking in Kaoru's appearance, looking up and down her whole figure.

Kaoru smiled and greeted him with a hug and a kiss, while thinking about her feelings for him. They were mixed. He was a nice man, a gentleman, some would say. During business deals though, his demeanor completely changed and he was ruthless. She knew that she didn't like him all too much, and the only reason she had gone out with him was that no one was with her when he had asked. 'Doesn't matter anyway, I'll be dumping him soon,' she thought. 'He's gotten boring.'

After Enishi had given Kaoru his praise, she had grabbed her coat and purse and then the two couples left to go to the party.

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

**-**

**Author's note:** Review, whether you love it or you hate it. I'm pretty tolerant. What I don't like is when I get 50 hits and 8 reviews. You read it, tell me what you think! I'd love some input.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN – **Well here is the brand-spankin' new chapter of **Between Lives. **This chapter is more of a filler chapter that leads onto the real plot later on. So that should make you happy, because that means that the story is really going to become, well, a story! From what's in my head right now, chapter three seems to be v. exciting if I may says so myself. So until then, read chapter two so that you can understand things later on.

Once again, thank you to my most awesome beta **Kylie**. I think my writing may possibly be improving… but we all know that can't possibly be true because then the world would be ending.

**Disclaimer – **Well, I forgot it in the first chapter so here it is. I don't own any small part of Rurouni Kenshin. Does that make you happy?

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

**Smile Empty Soul**

Chapter Two - By **Venus Goddess**

The whole room became abuzz with excitement when Enishi and Kaoru finally made their entrance from the top of the grand staircase. Guests and reporters alike were all clamoring for a chance to get close to the couple. Questions and praise poured in from all sides and the two had a hard time answering them all. Only when Enishi had firmly stated that he would answer all their questions a little later, even the ones about that weren't about the hotel, had the paparazzi finally given them a little room to breathe. With the reporters a safe distance away, Kaoru and Enishi could begin to mingle with their guests.

Dragging Enishi along, Kaoru searched for Ayame and Suzume. She had met the two sisters while looking at some design books in the library, when they had approached her claiming that they loved her work and wanted to be just like her when they grew up. Kaoru had been more than just a little surprised by this statement, because she hadn't really designed anything big enough at the time to get noticed by anyone. After this, they had become fast friends and Kaoru even looked upon them as adoptive younger sisters.

When they saw Kaoru approaching, Suzume let out a squeal of surprise before coming in closer to give her a hug. "I love what you did with the place! It's fantastic how you've managed to combine Japanese and Chinese designs into one. I really am happy for you."

"Copycat," said Ayame before she too gave Kaoru a hug. "Just so you know, I was saying that exact thing before you came over."

Enishi said hello to the two before politely excusing himself under the pretense of letting them catch up on old times. He quickly gave Kaoru a kiss then left.

Rubbing the spot, Kaoru turned back to the two. "So, how's college been for you guys? Shouldn't you be graduating soon, Ayame?"

"Yeah, but first I have to go through this grueling week test. If I don't pass it, I won't be able to graduate," she said with a note of despair in her voice.

"Don't worry; I'm sure you'll do fine. And after you graduate, you'll come and work under me. I've been saving a spot up for you, you know," said Kaoru. This was followed by an indignant "Hey!" from Suzume. "You too, Suzume. I haven't forgotten about you just yet. Just concentrate on college for now." With that, Kaoru bid her farewells to go greet her other guests.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Enishi was talking to his friend as well.

"So, are you gonna do it tonight?" asked Chou.

"Yeah. I'm going to do it during the dinner tonight," he replied, fingering the box in his pocket.

"But what if she says no? I mean, isn't she known for dumping guys on a daily basis?"

Enishi had to restrain himself from punching Chou right then and there. "How dare you say that! Those other guys were losers, that's why she had to dump them. Now that she's with me and knows what a real guy is like, she won't even think of dumping me. She loves me."

Chou cowered under the glare that Enishi sent his way. "Sure, sure man, whatever. Of course she'll say yes. She's gotta be crazy not to."

Nodding his head in approval, Enishi left to go talk to his sister whom he'd just spotted.

"Tomoe!" he said when he got close enough for her to hear him. She gave him a blank look in return. "Oh sister, please don't be mad at me. You'll like her in the end, I promise."

At this a scowl crossed her face. "I'll like her even more if you'd just let her go."

"It's just you being protective over me, you always have been," he said, trying to placate himself and her.

"It's not that. There's something wrong with her, you just can't see it. She won't make you happy, brother. She'll only bring you despair in the end."

Sighing, Enishi decided on just dropping the subject. Tomoe hadn't liked Kaoru from the start and he would just have to hope that her mind would change. He was about to leave when he saw Tomoe's usually bland expression break into a smile. Turning around, he immediately scowled.

"Himura," was all he said as Kenshin handed his sister a glass of wine.

Kenshin didn't smile at him or his sister and only inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment of the terse greeting. Just as Enishi was turning to leave, Kenshin stopped him with a question. "How is Miss. Kamiya?"

Slowly turning around with more than a hint of suspicion, he asked "How do you mean?"

"I mean how did you like her as an employee?" he clarified.

"She was an excellent employee. I don't think this hotel would be half as magnificent as it is now if anyone else had taken on the job," said Enishi with pride.

Just then, Kaoru herself joined them. She and Tomoe exchanged cool glares before she looped her arm through Enishi's.

"Kaoru! We were just talking about you and your work on the hotel design," said Enishi, completely ignoring the tension between the two women.

"Were you now? Like what?"

"Well Mr. Himura was asking about how you were in the work field. I was just explaining your expertise in design."

Kaoru noticed the man standing next to Tomoe for the first time when Enishi pointed him out. Although he was short in stature, his whole demeanor exuded a quiet strength and intensity that let you know he was not to be underestimated. Unusually colored scarlet locks that were tied up high on his head seemed to complement his masculinity. All in all, Mr. Himura had her interest piqued.

"I hope Mr. Himura here does not find my designs too boring. I tried my best," said Kaoru, looking directly into honey-colored eyes. Holding his gaze for less than a second, she looked up to face Enishi. "It's time for the dinner. The waiters have told me that everything is ready and they're just waiting for you to announce it."

Smiling down at her as a silent thank-you, the couple excused themselves and made their way over to where the orchestra was playing. The musicians slowly came to a halt so that Enishi could make his announcement.

"Excuse me, everybody, but the dining hall has just been opened and if you could all direct your attention to the waiters, they'd be happy to escort you inside." Waiting a second to make sure that everything was going smoothly, Enishi stepped down from the platform and waited for Kaoru to loop her arm through his before proceeding with the rest of the guests toward the dining hall.

The guests waited twenty minutes before the meal actually started, in which time they continued to chat and sample some of the offered hors d'oeuvres. After the elapsed time, Enishi stood up from his place at a long table in the back of the room to catch everyone's attention. He bade them all a happy dinner before signaling the waiters to bring out the first course.

By the time dessert had been served, all the guests had had a good time stuffing themselves with the five star foods. It was during this time that Enishi introduced her to everyone as Sekihara Sae and others applauded and praised her work. She left after the initial applause had died down and then Enishi stood up to make another announcement.

"Now is the real moment that I've been so excited for tonight," he said while placing the microphone down on the table before getting down on his knee before Kaoru. Although no one could hear him, everyone knew what he was going to do and a pregnant silence fell over everyone as he pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket.

Two seats away, Yukishiro Tomoe was scandalized by what was happening. She couldn't believe that he was actually going through with this. A scowl spread across her face when a very shocked Kaoru slowly nodded her head yes.

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

**AN – **So you read it, huh? Now if you would kindly tell me what you thought of it, I would be better able to make you like it better. I write to please. Not really… but leave a review anyways and I'll like you better.

Oh and I'll start using that reviewer reply thingy on the next chapter. So yeah, expect that. Until then, here they are.

**Animelover – **Why thank you! That makes me so giddy. Heh, I just used 'giddy'. I updated **Mistakes**, so if you haven't already, you can go check it out if you want.

**StarFairy14s – **Sorry, but it has nothing to do with the band. I didn't even know there was a band called Smile Empty Soul before you mentioned it. I looked up some of their songs, and they're pretty nice.

**Nixy-Chan – **I know, so do I! Stories with dark mysteries just keep you guessing and interested. I hope I haven't disappointed with the KxK interaction in this chapter, I know it's lacking. But I will definitely make up for that in later chaps.

**Sueb262 – **Yay, thanks. I hope you liked this chapter.

**Reignashii – **Yeah, I'm redoing it. The lack of flow and horribleness of it all was really grating on my nerves. Well here's the second chapter! Not everything's the same, so that should please you.


End file.
